Root Canal Treatment & Post Root Canal Treatment Care

People suffering from decaying tooth, cracks or cavities are prescribed to go for root canal treatment in order to get relief from their tooth problems. Often considered as one of the most effective treatments in the field of dentistry, root canal treatment has many advantages associated with it which can help to maintain your lovely smile or retain your tooth function. Post root canal treatment care is quite simple and can be practiced with little guidance and effort.

Understanding What is Root Canal Treatment

Understanding What is “Root Canal” Treatment

In general, this endodontic treatment aims at saving the roots of a damaged tooth by treating the inflammation or removing the infection within the root canal space. The roots of the tooth are not actually removed, but simply treated to maintain the footing of the tooth and to prevent extraction. The roots can be well felt even after the treatment is complete as they are present within. Nowadays, tooth looking caps are crowned on the affected tooth so that it does not appear different and resembles a natural tooth.

Once you have undergone a root canal treatment, you can expect the following benefits:

  • It will restore your tooth ability to chew foods.
  • Being covered with a crown or a tooth replica cover, the treated tooth will look exactly similar to other teeth in your mouth.
  • The tooth would allow prevention from wear and tear for other surrounding teeth in your mouth.
  • Instead of extraction or complete removal, your tooth will be saved restoring back its normal function as much as possible.

Post Root Canal Treatment Care

While the root canal treatment is quite smooth and pretty straightforward, it does bring a difference to the structure of your tooth. Hence, it is very crucial for the patient to follow some mandatory aftercare steps so that the tooth does not suffer damage once again. This is quite relevant in context to teeth that are crowned post root canal treatment so that they remain strong and work well.

Many a times, patients lose their teeth that have undergone a root canal treatment due to splitting or fracturing. In any case if such a teeth gets fractured, there is no way to save it and has to be extracted. When it comes to dental care, people do have a much laid back approach and this is where the problems escalate. People who delay in getting their teeth crowned post root canal therapy are likely to suffer from tooth fracture and tooth loss.

If you are one of those individuals who are planning or have been prescribed root canal treatment, here is what all you should definitely know to expect best results:

Avoid Stressing Your Tooth Post Root Canal Treatment: Remember, root canal will lead to removal of the interior part of your tooth, thereby altering its structure and making it weak. It is due to this reason; the treated tooth will be capped for protection to avoid breakage or further damage. Generally, crowns are placed after the tissues are healed completely post root canal treatment. Hence, before the crown placement, your tooth is vulnerable and requires care and protection so that it is not stressed.

Avoid Eating Hard Foods Post Root Canal Treatment: Make sure you do not eat foods that are hard or too crunchy. As, eating them with your root canaled teeth would induce breakage within the temporary filling causing damage. Moreover, hard foods can even completely break away your tooth requiring complete removal. So, it’s important to be cautious by avoiding such foods until cap restoration takes place.

Brush Gently Post Root Canal Treatment: You need to be extra careful and particular when it comes to brushing once you have undergone a root canal treatment. Be gentle around the affected area, especially if your gum tissues are still in the healing phase. Make sure to avoid applying force and be patient. In case of problems, visit your doctor at the earliest to get your filling reshaped if required.

Take Proper Medicines Post Root Canal Treatment: The doctor would prescribe oral medicines and pain killers to manage pain and discomfort that comes post root canal treatment. Drugs that are anti-inflammatory and steroid-free, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophens are also effective in reducing swelling especially during the initial days of the procedure.

Follow Up With Your Dentist Post Root Canal Treatment: In context to suffering from discomfort after root canal treatment, make sure you are able to understand the difference between normal pain and severe inflammation as otherwise it would lead to complications. Discomfort post treatment is common and usually goes away in two-three weeks, during which pain killers are often given to manage pain. While, today’s modern practices of dentistry are so advanced that thankfully people do not have to undergo much pain, yet in exceptional cases severe pain could be indicative of fracture or infection. Hence, staying in touch with your doctor and follow up visits are very important to ensure best results for your tooth.

What To Expect Once You Have Undergone A Root Canal Treatment?

Remember, the treatment is simply the first step in making an attempt to restore back normal function of your damaged tooth. A proper aftercare as well as permanent restoration, both is necessary for its sustenance and good outcome. Patients who undergo the root canal treatment are called for routine check-ups and dental cleaning. Hence, one must attend those appointments on time until a permanent restoration gets completed.

A tooth that has undergone root canal treatment and has been properly restored can survive long enough just like natural teeth. Proper oral hygiene, healthy brushing and flossing, staying away from aerated foods and regular check-ups are some steps that will guarantee long term sustenance of a root canaled tooth.

Once the treatment is complete, the dentist can perform a tooth x-ray to ensure that proper healing has taken place in the treated tooth. Generally, the pain and discomfort post root canal treatment subsides after two weeks. But in rare scenarios, the treated tooth might continue to pain even after months or years of root canal treatment. In such a case, a repeated procedure could be done to get relief.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:March 13, 2018

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